Gabrielle Union, NBC reach 'amicable resolution' in 'America's Got Talent' dispute

Christi Carras
·2 min read
FILE - In this March 11, 2019, file photo, Gabrielle Union arrives at the "America's Got Talent" Season 14 Kickoff at the Pasadena City Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Terry Crews is apologizing for his remarks about Union's claims of mistreatment on "America's Got Talent." In a series of tweets Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, Crews said he did not mean to "invalidate" her experience and he regrets letting down other black women. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
Actress Gabrielle Union previously worked as a celebrity judge on NBC's "America's Got Talent." (Willy Sanjuan / Invision / Associated Press)

After exiting "America's Got Talent" and filing a discrimination complaint against NBC, Gabrielle Union has come to an agreement with the network regarding her concerns about racism on the competition program.

On Tuesday, Union and NBC released a joint statement announcing they have come to an "amicable resolution" in the dispute, which dates to the "L.A.'s Finest" star's abrupt and controversial departure from the competition talent show after just one season on the celebrity judges' panel.

“We’ve reached an amicable resolution," the statement reads. "NBC Entertainment appreciates the important concerns raised by Gabrielle Union and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds can be treated with respect.”

Shortly after she left "America's Got Talent" last November, new details emerged, revealing that Union had reported a toxic environment and racist behavior on the set of the talent-search series. NBC then launched an external investigation, which found that Union was not fired for speaking up about her experience — much of which the network denied — but "highlighted some areas in which reporting processes could be improved."

In response, Union later filed a complaint of employment discrimination, which claimed that NBC did retaliate against her for expressing concerns about "acts of racism" she experienced on the show, including racist remarks allegedly made by NBC employees, as well as by fellow on-camera talent Jay Leno and Howie Mandel.

In her complaint, Union also accused the chairman of NBC entertainment, Paul Telegdy, of threatening her when she spoke up and “secretly planning to undermine” the subsequent external investigation — a claim NBC dismissed as "categorically untrue."

Telegdy was then fired in July after several other current and former NBC employees told the Hollywood Reporter that the executive had subjected them to racist, sexist and homophobic behavior.

“To hide behind the fact that Telegdy did not call her directly but her agent instead does not absolve him from his wrongful conduct," Union's legal team said in June. "Should Mr. Telegdy wish to see phone records or call sheets from the date of his threat, we can make those available for the world to see. It is frankly sad but not surprising that, rather than addressing its own racial discrimination, NBC wants to try and avoid the systemic issues that permeate its company."